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Gravel (collected editions) #1
Strange Kiss
The original STRANGE KISS storyline collected, featuring the introduction of William Gravel! Strange Kiss is best described by Ellis "A horrific murder/suicide in the middle of a busy city street at midday; an old man rotting and bloating in a hospital bed, something sick gestating inside him; in a darkened place close by, people screaming, impregnated, doomed. Something beautiful and awful is trying to reproduce, and its strange kiss is only to be feared..."
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2001
97 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,971 books5,763 followersWarren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 12, 2016
And His Knob Turns Black and Drops Off
"So let me get this straight," one of the characters says. "He has sex with a complete stranger and ends up pregnant. With lizards. And his knob turns black and drops off. And then he gives birth to hundreds if tiny fucking reptiles and dies." Well, this quote pretty much sums up the whole plot, at least until things start to get REALLY weird in the end...
It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers without all the subtext and without the above-mentioned external male genitalia (not that they are ever mentioned in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but I assume they must be functional or at least... well, attached in that story), and instead with lots of f-bombs to make up for those unfortunate shortcomings.
Entertaining enough while it lasts, I guess, but certainly not the most developed or memorable story Warren Ellis has ever created.
"So let me get this straight," one of the characters says. "He has sex with a complete stranger and ends up pregnant. With lizards. And his knob turns black and drops off. And then he gives birth to hundreds if tiny fucking reptiles and dies." Well, this quote pretty much sums up the whole plot, at least until things start to get REALLY weird in the end...
It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers without all the subtext and without the above-mentioned external male genitalia (not that they are ever mentioned in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but I assume they must be functional or at least... well, attached in that story), and instead with lots of f-bombs to make up for those unfortunate shortcomings.
Entertaining enough while it lasts, I guess, but certainly not the most developed or memorable story Warren Ellis has ever created.
June 12, 2017
Ha-haa! Fresh reading material has arrived!
[Later.] Annnd it's seriously weird and really disgusting - and sort of makes sense of how things like Gun Machine (the gore, the investigation, the touch of the supernatural) and Injection (the serious Weird) came into being. (These two are awesome, btw.)
[Later.] Annnd it's seriously weird and really disgusting - and sort of makes sense of how things like Gun Machine (the gore, the investigation, the touch of the supernatural) and Injection (the serious Weird) came into being. (These two are awesome, btw.)
March 31, 2016
More like a 2.5, which is on the lower end of Ellis's usually-excellent work. Squicky paranormal detective story, like a hyper-violent version of Hellblazer (which Ellis was also writing around this time). Forgettable, pulpy, stomach-churning fun, if your idea of fun involves early 2000s leather fashion a la The Matrix and lizard babies bursting from impregnated mens' rotting dick holes.
October 19, 2018
This is some seriously messed up shit. Seriously, this story is gross and disgusting with a story that borders on nonsensical.
Please don't get me wrong. I enjoy some really weird stories. I am not against nudity, sex, and violence in graphic novels if it helps the story. Some of the best graphic novels pushes the envelope with controversial story telling and art work. The problem with this book is while the premise is interesting the actual story is not executed well. It is written like the reader is supposed to already know these characters and the motivation behind their actions. The reader has no investment or reason to care about the characters or the story. It is like they are just there to show one distasteful scene after another
The art work saves this book from hitting the recycle bin. Mike Wolfer's art has clean, attractive lines.
Please don't get me wrong. I enjoy some really weird stories. I am not against nudity, sex, and violence in graphic novels if it helps the story. Some of the best graphic novels pushes the envelope with controversial story telling and art work. The problem with this book is while the premise is interesting the actual story is not executed well. It is written like the reader is supposed to already know these characters and the motivation behind their actions. The reader has no investment or reason to care about the characters or the story. It is like they are just there to show one distasteful scene after another
The art work saves this book from hitting the recycle bin. Mike Wolfer's art has clean, attractive lines.
July 31, 2017
3.5 Stars
This is the introduction of William Gravel, a Warren Ellis character who went on to star in several comic series. Think John Constantine with guns and you have a good idea who Gravel is. Pretty cool character.
This initial series has him battling an alien invasion that is attempting to gestate its young inside of human beings. Pretty disturbing stuff. I did think the story could be paced a little better, as it wasn't as fleshed out as I'd have liked. The Mike Wolfer art wasn't his best but was still good. I think overall the entire series felt a little rushed, but it was horrific and interesting enough that I look forward to continuing the Gravel series.
This is the introduction of William Gravel, a Warren Ellis character who went on to star in several comic series. Think John Constantine with guns and you have a good idea who Gravel is. Pretty cool character.
This initial series has him battling an alien invasion that is attempting to gestate its young inside of human beings. Pretty disturbing stuff. I did think the story could be paced a little better, as it wasn't as fleshed out as I'd have liked. The Mike Wolfer art wasn't his best but was still good. I think overall the entire series felt a little rushed, but it was horrific and interesting enough that I look forward to continuing the Gravel series.
August 14, 2024
This is perhaps a pinnacle example of the edgy, over-the-top gore comics liked to go for in the early 2000s. Based on the introduction, the story overall comes from a good place, but seems to focus a bit too much on shock value over story. There is a clear beginning, middle, and end, but it’s also mired in a lot of other stuff that reaches past a storytelling objective and becomes gratuitous.
June 23, 2020
The start of Ellis' cult character. It's kind of a consolation prize for leaving Hellblazer. A little crazier and a little less censorship.
This is kind of reptilian/body snatchers storyline. It's fun, but nowhere near anything great.
This is kind of reptilian/body snatchers storyline. It's fun, but nowhere near anything great.
November 13, 2019
Good creepy stuff!
August 4, 2020
Disturbing, but fitting to the world of Gravel
November 26, 2013
William Gravel, simply put, is Avatar’s answer to Vertigo’s John Constantine. He’s a little rough, a little crude and sarcastic as well as a former member of the SAS. What he also is, is a warlock, specifically a combat magician which is where Gravel and Constantine differ. Perhaps limited by what he could do with a property not his own, assumably Warren Ellis decided to craft his own character without any restrictions whatsoever, and bring it to a publisher that would let him have the freedoms to do so.
Avatar Press happened to be that publisher and so it was that Strange Kiss and a second series named Stranger Kisses were published. The first series featured a lizard god, the last of his kind, trying to procreate within the bodies of humans and succeeding to varying degrees. Gravel comes to America and meets with an old friend who just happens to be impregnated with the lizard god’s children. Just before he dies, he makes Gravel promise to take care of the matter, which in the end, Gravel does so.
The second series sees Gravel still in the United States and being hired by a former star as a bodyguard for two hours time. The job is more than it seems as they go to purchase what they believe to be snuff tapes or something or some sort of deviant porn but instead, turns out to be more than it seems. It is also here that Gravel starts to really strut his stuff and show just why he is a combat magician and not some parlour trickster. Stranger Kisses indeed.
Ellis and artist Mike Wolfer do a pretty good job at what they are aiming for, but the problem is that the series does not age well. There is really nothing wrong with it at all, but when reading so many good Constantine stories over the years and then coming to this, it is almost like a pale reflection. It is true that Ellis can get away with a bit more than what Vertigo or DC can do, but with these first two series, while they are imaginative, they are almost forgettable. Perhaps if this had been read before Constantine the situation would have been reversed.
Strange Kiss and Stranger Kisses are good stories, but when reading anything from today, whether from Avatar or another publisher, or even stacking it up against Ellis’ other works such as Supergod or Black Summer, they simply do not shine as bright. Still, a great start to a series that continues on further and which hopefully and more probably, gets better. Looking forward to the rest.
4 out of 5
http://thetelltalemind.com/2013/11/20...
Avatar Press happened to be that publisher and so it was that Strange Kiss and a second series named Stranger Kisses were published. The first series featured a lizard god, the last of his kind, trying to procreate within the bodies of humans and succeeding to varying degrees. Gravel comes to America and meets with an old friend who just happens to be impregnated with the lizard god’s children. Just before he dies, he makes Gravel promise to take care of the matter, which in the end, Gravel does so.
The second series sees Gravel still in the United States and being hired by a former star as a bodyguard for two hours time. The job is more than it seems as they go to purchase what they believe to be snuff tapes or something or some sort of deviant porn but instead, turns out to be more than it seems. It is also here that Gravel starts to really strut his stuff and show just why he is a combat magician and not some parlour trickster. Stranger Kisses indeed.
Ellis and artist Mike Wolfer do a pretty good job at what they are aiming for, but the problem is that the series does not age well. There is really nothing wrong with it at all, but when reading so many good Constantine stories over the years and then coming to this, it is almost like a pale reflection. It is true that Ellis can get away with a bit more than what Vertigo or DC can do, but with these first two series, while they are imaginative, they are almost forgettable. Perhaps if this had been read before Constantine the situation would have been reversed.
Strange Kiss and Stranger Kisses are good stories, but when reading anything from today, whether from Avatar or another publisher, or even stacking it up against Ellis’ other works such as Supergod or Black Summer, they simply do not shine as bright. Still, a great start to a series that continues on further and which hopefully and more probably, gets better. Looking forward to the rest.
4 out of 5
http://thetelltalemind.com/2013/11/20...
October 26, 2007
I have a hard time rating and reviewing things I like. I have an equally easy time handing out bad ratings when deserved. This is the worst comic I've read since I started reading them again in July 2007, and hopefully this will help start me rating the good stuff I've read.
I had to go find some background on this 3-issue collection. It apparently is part a bigger series revolving around a "combat magician", though not much bigger. Though these are the first issues, the character seems assumed to already be known and is not developed much through the story. The subject matter is simply grotesque and in no way intriguing. The story is so short there's no time for, well, the usual tension-release of a story. I'm surprised this comes from Warren Ellis.
I admit it--I don't get this one. Maybe someone else can enlighten me, but I'd say pass on this one unless you are so interested in Warren Ellis you can't pass it up.
I had to go find some background on this 3-issue collection. It apparently is part a bigger series revolving around a "combat magician", though not much bigger. Though these are the first issues, the character seems assumed to already be known and is not developed much through the story. The subject matter is simply grotesque and in no way intriguing. The story is so short there's no time for, well, the usual tension-release of a story. I'm surprised this comes from Warren Ellis.
I admit it--I don't get this one. Maybe someone else can enlighten me, but I'd say pass on this one unless you are so interested in Warren Ellis you can't pass it up.
September 18, 2011
Starts out sharp and just keeps honing the keen edge of the writer's blade. Art is just as stark, but where the writing is sparse, the art is lush.
There's something of Clive Barker in this story - horror of the body being transformed and taken control of by the "other", and sex, pain and death wrapped together sickeningly - in the way only seduction of the whole can be.
There's also a touch of Hellblazer here - and the wy this gets set up for continuing stories, I'm gonna look forward to the continuing adventures of this "Gravel" dude.
Nice introductory appetizer.
There's something of Clive Barker in this story - horror of the body being transformed and taken control of by the "other", and sex, pain and death wrapped together sickeningly - in the way only seduction of the whole can be.
There's also a touch of Hellblazer here - and the wy this gets set up for continuing stories, I'm gonna look forward to the continuing adventures of this "Gravel" dude.
Nice introductory appetizer.
January 20, 2013
Not Ellis's best work. I found it difficult to get past the black and white format, as Ellis usually employs remarkably high quality ink artists for his comics. The character he has created in this first installment has serious potential, but the storyline itself isn't his greatest. Rather, it's typical Ellis fair, blood, guts, and uncomfortably sexual situations. Not about to convert non-fans, but I have hope for the continuation of the series.
August 15, 2007
Solid art, if none too flashy. A damn clever idea for a character that's begging to be made into a movie. Swearing and violence and lizard-people and sex. Oh yeah, and a simple idea that expresses itself in one of the most shocking and repulsive scenes to appear in a comic.
Fun.
Fun.
October 3, 2016
Hellblazer with guns, a few somewhat gratuitous moments of violence and some of the most graphic scenes you're going to see in comics all make for a pretty unique read. The worst thing about it is that it's black and white.
October 25, 2009
Very gruesome! Loved it, it reminded me of a mini R rated version of Harry Dresden.
October 8, 2011
I'm not a fan of gratiuitous gore for its own sake, but I do like Warren Ellis' stuff. He definitely understands me. Gravel is a sweet series. Obviously not for everyone.
May 16, 2014
Holy FUCK
August 4, 2014
Basically a low rent John Constantine. Gross out body horror, crude but effective for what it is.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews